But rumours of such a scene were enough to enrage right-wing Hindu groups.

Protests are much ado about nothing

Divya Arya, Women Affairs, BBC World service, Delhi

The film Padmaavat does not depict a romance between a Hindu queen and a Muslim king, as has been alleged by protesters over the last few months.

Neither is there a dream sequence between the two, nor does the Hindu queen Padmavati dance in front of strangers or wear outfits that are revealing.

In fact, the outrage against the film should be directed at the glamorised portrayal of mass self-immolation, or "jauhar", led by Padmavati. She and hundreds of women take their lives by jumping into a fire to escape being captured by the Muslim king.

The women's desperate end is celebrated and glorified in a violent build-up to the film's climax, again emphasising the importance of the community and a husband's honour over the life of a woman.

Is the film historically accurate?

While Khilji is a historical figure, historians believe that Padmavati is fictional.

The name of the queen, and the plot of the film, are believed to be based on an epic poem, Padmaavat, by 16th Century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi.

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Some cinema owners are not screening the film as they fear more violence

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The film has sparked angry protests for months

The poem extols the virtue of Padmavati who committed jauhar to protect her honour from Khilji who had killed her husband, the Rajput king, in a battle.

Jauhar, the mass self-immolation by women to avoid enslavement and rape by foreign invaders, is believed to have originated some 700 years ago among the ruling class or Rajputs in India.

Women in the community set themselves alight after their men were defeated in battles to avoid being taken by the victors. But it came to be seen as a measure of wifely devotion in later years.